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“I wanted to fall off a horse,” Victor Alli tells Tudum. If the actor had to say goodbye to his beloved Bridgerton character, romantic introvert Lord John Stirling, he dreamed the Earl of Kilmartin’s death would be bombastic. Instead, John dies in the same way he lived: quietly but with massive impact, both within Stirling House and across Mayfair.
At the beginning of Season 4, Episode 6, everything is finally going right for John and his lady wife, Franceca Stirling (Hannah Dodd). The couple is closer than ever, and they’re getting along smashingly with John’s chaotic cousin, Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza). The trio even completes a puzzle together with ease. It’s domestic. It’s warm. It feels safe. Then John goes to take a nap before dinner. When Francesca goes to wake her husband, he’s unresponsive. Horrified, Francesca realizes John has died in his sleep. The new widow’s wails ricochet through the home, which will never be the same.
“It was an aneurysm,” Alli explains. The Bridgerton creative team confirmed the devastating cause of death to the actor during production. Throughout Episode 7, multiple funeral goers remark on how unsettling it is to lose someone so young to a “headache,” which he complained about prior to his death.
Francesca and Michaela — the people who loved John most in this world — are thrust into grief, although they approach the loss differently. Francesca, a lover of rules and regulations, throws herself into her hostess duties, desperate to make this tragedy as comfortable as possible for everyone else.
“Portraying Francesca’s stoicism terrified me at first because I didn’t want it to look like she didn’t care,” Dodd tells Tudum. “But I do think that’s a really realistic look at how people react. It’s so painful and raw, but you have things you have to focus on.”
Michaela, on the other hand, is used to Scottish customs. She’s disturbed by the “morbid” and “orderly” reactions of London’s aristocracy to this most overwhelming departure. Her feelings cannot fit in a tidy box for public consumption. For someone usually so breezy, we’re seeing a softer Michaela.
“She’s someone who really struggles to show that side to people she doesn’t know, especially because she’s had to hide so many parts of herself,” Baduza tells Tudum. “She’s used to having all these walls up.”
Will those walls ever come down? How did the trio of Alli, Dodd, and Baduza pull off Bridgerton’s most heartbreaking death yet? Keep reading as the actors take you inside the five stages of losing Lord John Stirling.
A blossoming marriage
John’s death feels particularly tragic because he was in the prime of his life — and relationship. In Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1, John realizes his wife hasn’t been reaching her pinnacle during their intimate moments. He takes this information in stride; he asks questions and pledges to do whatever he can to please Francesca. Most importantly, John promises Francesca there’s nothing wrong with her.
“He’s doing his best. It’s important that there’s no pressure on these things,” Alli says. “John supports her and is there to encourage her where necessary. Love isn’t always glamorous. It has its troughs, but we’re going through it together, and we have each other.”
Dodd is proud to have portrayed such a realistic version of marriage. “It’s a normal thing within relationships. In the context of a romance show with lots of passion and perfection within love, it’s really nice to see two people working at their relationship,” she says. “I don’t think it takes anything away. It’s actually from a place of love that they care so much to work out what each other needs.”
These discussions only make the Stirlings care for each other more. As we see in Episode 6, in the gardens of Penwood House, John has never been more enthralled with his “perfect wife.” Francesca is overcome with emotion at John’s kind words and tells her husband she loves him “always.” She has no idea that although her love for John may extend forever, her time with him is running out quickly.
A trio finally unites
Michaela lands in Mayfair, unannounced, at the close of Season 4, Episode 4. “You look as though you’ve seen a ghost,” she tells Francesca, who appears less than enthused about seeing her husband’s cousin. The last time the group was together was in Scotland. So, what happened?
“I think obviously they just didn’t get on in Scotland,” Baduza says. While Francesca and John considered the trip a honeymoon — and even brought along Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) — Baduza points out that the Stirlings’ Highlands home is just that: Michaela’s actual home. It’s not a vacation pad for her.
“Scotland is where she’s from,” Baduza continues. “I think it was different having John, Francesca, and Eloise there as well.” Dodd concurs, saying, “Having to mask at home is the most exhausting thing.”
Those same tensions follow the trio to Mayfair, only this time it’s Francesca who must accept a visitor shaking up the status quo in her home. The two women finally come to an understanding in Episode 5, when Francesca admits that Michaela stokes her already high insecurities by bringing out a new side of John. Michaela tells Francesca that John loves her, and she has only come to London because she missed her cousin. A détente is born, and the next morning John learns his two favorite people are dear friends now — so dear, they played a drinking game without him.
“It’s the best feeling ever. John had been wanting that to happen for so long,” Alli says. “If John had a final wish, it would be for his wife and cousin to get along. When they do, it’s like, ‘I’m good now. I can sleep easy.’ It’s really the best thing ever for him.”
Baduza agrees. “Michaela feels at home. It’s the first time she’s felt that way since being in London,” she says. “She’s happy to finally not be so on guard when Francesca’s around. Michaela is learning to share John with Francesca. So that’s a big thing for her to finally be like, ‘Oh my God, we’re all besties. I love that for us!’ ”
Dodd was happy to see that friendship was only possible after Francesca and Michaela confronted their issues head-on, rather than just wait for them to disappear. “It’s really good that everything was communicated,” she says. “And it was a balanced conversation. There’s work to be done from both sides. It’s really nice that you see that before the departure.”
The group’s newfound friendship culminates in a daytime puzzle scene. Unbeknownst to Francesca and Michaela, it’s the last moment they’ll spend with John. Alli worked hard not to play up the underlying sadness of the scene, since none of the characters have any idea of what will come next. Rather, the actor focused on the easy humor between Michaela and John.
“There’s a back and forth about who gets to do the last piece of the puzzle,” Alli says. “That’s just the nature of our relationship and just the banter that we both share.”
A surprising funeral
Onscreen, John receives a respectful, loving send-off at his funeral. Behind the scenes, however, something unexpected occurred. Alli showed up to his own burial.
“You said, ‘I want to come to my funeral,’ ” Dodd reminds her co-star. Alli created a plan with Bridgerton second assistant director, Alexandra “Bea” Beahan, to get on set. “She was like, ‘Come on this day, that time,’ ” Alli recalls. He arrived wearing a caftan and almost immediately bumped into co-star Luke Newton. Beahan managed to hide Alli before his cover was blown.
“It was really, really hard. People are walking about during the break, and everyone was around,” he continues. Beahan walked Alli to a hiding place before one of the last shots of filming the funeral scene. “I just popped out. I was like, ‘Hi guys!’ ” he says. “Then everyone erupted and was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ It was so insane and intense.”
The cast was shocked to see Alli — including Baduza and Dodd. “I think I was like, ‘Who is talking in the middle of the scene?’ ” Baduza says. Dodd admits, “I was way too emotional.”
The painful aftermath
John’s death rocks the Bridgerton family, and his absence becomes a catalyst. Many of his in-laws begin to rethink their lives: Benedict (Luke Thompson) decides to propose to Bridgerton ladies’ maid Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), regardless of possibly losing his connection to the ton. Violet (Ruth Gemmell) realizes she prefers her independence over a marriage with beau Lord Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis). Even Hyacinth (Florence Hunt) questions her opinions about romance.
“When someone passes away within your circle, you think differently,” Alli says, proud that his character had such an effect on Bridgerton. “A loss puts a necessary pressure on you because you think you have all the time in the world, but actually you don’t. When someone dies, it spurs you on to make those decisions that you wouldn’t have made if things were all good.”
However, one person in the Bridgerton family is not pushed toward grand decision-making: John’s widow, Francesca. She’s in survival mode, which becomes harder once the distraction of the funeral is over. “It’s after that event that things can hit you like a ton of bricks,” Dodd says.
Benedict and Francesca must deal with the Stirling estate. Francesca holds onto the belief that she is with child. Francesca is invested in the pregnancy because it would mean she’d have a living connection to John in the difficult times ahead. The British government simply wants to clarify the lines of succession. An examination is held that reveals Francesca isn’t pregnant.
In planning Francesca’s debilitating grief journey, the Bridgerton team realized the character would most likely attempt to model the experience of her mother, Violet, a fellow widow who lost her husband at a young age. Violet was pregnant with Hyacinth when the Bridgerton siblings’ father, Edmund (Rupert Evans), died as suddenly as John. If Violet survived new widowhood by welcoming one last piece of her husband, Francesca clings to hope of the same. Denial led Francesca to believe she would be able to follow the exact same road as her dear mama, Dodd says.
“That gives Francesca something to hold onto, which is so devastating that she’s convinced herself of that. She’s like, ‘I’m going to be OK because I’ve still got a piece of John. That’s what mum had. I know that she’s OK, so that means I’ll be OK,’ ” Dodd says. “Then she realizes that she doesn’t have that.”
To add insult to an already nightmarish period, the pregnancy “inspection,” is cruel and cold. When Francesca should have been at her most comfortable and cared for, she’s picked apart by strangers. “It’s so invasive,” Dodd continues. “It’s so devastating when she’s in pain — and also so young. To have men [treat her like that]. There are so many layers to it.”
A bittersweet celebration
As Francesca comes to terms with her new reality, she warms to Michaela’s suggestion to host a Scottish wake for John. Why not celebrate the life of the man they both loved dearly? If death came without warning, joy must now be intentional. So the women invite their closest loved ones, including Stirling family members like John’s mother, Janet Stirling (Carol Moses). Starting with Michaela and ending with Francesca, the attendees share their favorite memories and emotional words for John.
Then Michaela leads the group in a Scottish Highlands dance. As the group performs the stag dance, Francesca truly smiles for the first time since she became a widow.
“When you’re feeling so much, emotion can come out in all kinds of ways. Laughing can be just as devastating as crying,” Dodd says. “I think feeling joy without somebody, it’s that guilt as well. It’s really nice that she’s ridding herself of that guilt and feeling the support.”
Both she and Baduza enjoyed learning the steps — from series choreographer Jack Murphy — for their bittersweet performance. “Shout out, Jack! I loved adding a bit of culture into the Kilmartins,” Baduza praises. “Glimpsing where they come from and really exploring that storyline — plus getting a bunch of Bridgertons to dance and let loose — was really exciting and fun to film. Dancing with Hannah was just incredible.”
While Francesca was once intimidated by Michaela’s closeness to John, that shared emotion is now her anchor. “By the end, it’s like, ‘You know John, you’re the only other person who fully understands what this might feel like.’ That just connects them on another level.”
“When you lose someone close to you, it really alters your whole life moving forward,” Baduza agrees. “I think the fact that Michaela and Francesca have each other is really important. It’s something that you can’t really understand until you go through it.”
Still, as the ending of Episode 8 reveals, all is not solved for Francesca and Michaela, no matter how much they have in common. But Alli thinks John would be happy to know his favorites have at least glimpsed common ground after his departure.
“John was at the wake in spirit,” Alli says. “When a death can bring people together, that’s a great thing, isn’t it? He would be over the moon.”
To hear even more about the life and death of John, tune into Bridgerton: The Official Podcast.
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